Delphi, California-based software giant Embarcadero Technologies’ proprietary software development kit, makes app development a breeze, thanks to its ability to instantly generate code for multiple platforms. As a programmer, you only need to code your apps once, and Delphi’s powerful FireUI feature is always ready to deploy them to your platform — Windows, OS X, Android, or iOS — of your choice, forgoing the need to learn different coding skills for multiple devices. Comprehensive support for IoT gadgets and devices make Delphi the ultimate software development kit in today’s evolving tech industry. With processing support for 64-bit versions of Windows 10, increased memory capabilities, and extended multi-monitor support, you can have your apps developed faster than ever before.

RAD Studio Integration

Delphi is directly integrated into Embarcadero’s RAD Studio, so you don’t gain access to a separate software development application — just the functionality to work through RAD Studio. It doesn’t matter, however, since the RAD Studio user interface is pretty intuitive. Upon selecting that you want to build a multi-device application via Delphi the first time you open RAD Studio, you are presented with an array of templates to let you get started — Blank Application, 3D Application, Header/Footer, Tabbed, Master-Detail, etc. Delphi lets you work directly on modifying the user interface, while various other components — Structure, Object Inspector, Model View, Data Explorer, Multi-Device, etc. — let you perform all your UI designing and coding tasks with the least amount of hassle.

How It Works

Thanks to Delphi’s blazing fast code compilation capabilities, you can have your apps up and running in no time — Delphi compiles code even faster than alternate languages such as C# and Swift. Embarcadero’s proprietary code editor, Code Insight, provides auto-completion capabilities and is a great way to compile code, while a separate module called Error Insight allows for error-checking in real-time without having to perform compilations in advance. Delphi features support for both VCL and FMX — VCL (Visual Component Library) when looking to build native Windows applications, and FMX (FireMonkey) for multi-platform app development. Delphi also supports packages compiled with Embarcadero’s alternate software development kit C++ Builder, and vice versa.

Cross-Platform Support

Delphi provides powerful cross-platform support thanks to the inclusion of the FireUI Multi-Device Designer. Rather than writing separate user interfaces for each platform that you want to your apps to work on, you can use the FireUI Multi-Device Designer to generate appropriate code automatically. If you are worried about optimization issues on your platform of choice, you don’t have to be; by using common shared code bases for a range of devices, your apps are completely optimized for best performance and compatibility across GPUs and CPUs. Simply put, your apps should have no trouble accessing the various hardware components and services unique to particular devices. As a developer, you save tons of time due to the ability to use a common UI across multiple platforms.

FireUI App Preview

To complement the FireUI Multi-Device Designer, Delphi also includes a separate module called FireUI App Preview that gives you the ability to preview all your changes in real-time — no longer do you have to waste time compiling code to check whether your changes work. When developing FMX (FireMonkey) apps, FireUI App Preview even gives you the opportunity to preview the apps on whatever target platform that you plan to run them on — Windows, OS X, Android, iOS, etc. If you are worried about your app working properly only on a simulated environment, FireUI App Preview also gives you the ability to connect hardware components and broadcast the changes directly so that you can preview your changes on appropriate devices in real-time.

IoT Gadget Support

If you are looking to get your apps functioning with the latest IoT gadgets, then Delphi should fit right within your comfort zone. With the ability to easily connect IoT gadgets or devices to your apps, you now have the ability to develop intuitively new and interesting functions so that end-users can do a lot more. Thanks to the inclusion of additional solutions such as Live Bindings, you now have the opportunity to completely integrate existing apps to alternate mobile platforms and new IoT gadgets, thereby allowing you to spend a lot less time that otherwise would have been the case when developing apps from scratch.

Should I Buy It?

Delphi’s software development capabilities are quite unprecedented. Thanks to swift compiling capabilities and real-time error-checking functionalities, you can mostly focus on creating terrific UIs and let the application handle the rest of the job for you. Not just that, but additional features such as the FireUI Multi-Device Manager make generating code for alternate desktop and platforms a breeze, while the FireUI App Preview option lets you preview even the minute of changes in real-time. Simply put, as an app developer, Delphi gives you the option to stop wasting time working on multiple user interfaces or writing codes for multiple platforms, and more time focusing on creating the best app experiences for all major mobile and IoT devices that are available today.